Bit of an embarrassing hit piece in the Irish Times the other day from the comically misinformed Orla Muldoon claiming that the association doesn't treat its female players very well. She's going to feel stupid when she realizes the GAA doesn't have any female players.
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/orla-muldoon-the-gaa-is-institutionally-misogynistic-1.4444783
The rebuttals have been flowing into the letters page:
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/the-gaa-and-women-1.4447609
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/misogyny-in-the-gaa-1.4448109
The article shouldn't have gone to print.
Subeditors once held a more important position than headline writers. One day hopefully the balance will return.
Nobody reads Newspapers anymore.
Well not many under 50!
It is rather concerning that a person teaching in a university would write such Ill informed crap. People send bad tweets, some of us even post poorly constructed posts on forums, but to put your name to the like of that in a newspaper article can hardly project a professional image for UL.
Is the ladies games all under the one roof now? Or if not, should it be?
Would that result in less of what she's saying is supposedly happening?
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on January 03, 2021, 10:57:05 AM
Is the ladies games all under the one roof now? Or if not, should it be?
Would that result in less of what she's saying is supposedly happening?
Gaa have a real opportunity here. The "ladies game" has seen phenomenal development over recent years. Correct me if I'm wrong but the AI ladies final is the biggest crowd in Europe for women's Sport. In our own club , our female section is vibrant and will get even stronger . Integration across GAA/Lgfa and camogie is the clearly the way forward , and allows clubs to provide for all in member's families . The ladies game will never meet its potential if they are treated like second class citizens . Tbf most other sports are even further behind in terms of gender equality
Our ladies side of things is phenomenal tbh, theres growth every year.
The parents within that group also have a team, Gaelic mums team, they have tournaments and so on.
We've two pitches but with that growth we'd need another I'd say, the pitches are allocated via the club sec, as far as I'm aware, as I'll see the messages, the pitch is divided up fairly.
Maybe in the early days there could have been preference to senior teams but I've not seen that in a long time.
This article seems a sweeping generalisation tbf
The article was bizarre. Coupled with the Irish imperialism article the paper is veering very quickly into clickbait territory.
While I appreciate the general public might not understand the nuance of three organisations, to write and have an article published not getting that is suspicious
Everything is misogynistic.
Quote from: 6th sam on January 03, 2021, 12:47:03 PM
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on January 03, 2021, 10:57:05 AM
Is the ladies games all under the one roof now? Or if not, should it be?
Would that result in less of what she's saying is supposedly happening?
Gaa have a real opportunity here. The "ladies game" has seen phenomenal development over recent years. Correct me if I'm wrong but the AI ladies final is the biggest crowd in Europe for women's Sport. In our own club , our female section is vibrant and will get even stronger . Integration across GAA/Lgfa and camogie is the clearly the way forward , and allows clubs to provide for all in member's families . The ladies game will never meet its potential if they are treated like second class citizens . Tbf most other sports are even further behind in terms of gender equality
I can't think of any?
Our local LGFA club didn't want to merge fully with the men's club
The ball is in the ladies court on this one and if the imbecile who wrote the original article did even a smidgeon of research she'd have known that.
Quote from: Itchy on January 03, 2021, 11:06:14 PM
The ball is in the ladies court on this one and if the imbecile who wrote the original article did even a smidgeon of research she'd have known that.
Entirely correct there. Can only speak for our club and the camogs are fully integrated at club level but nothing in common at CB and National Level which is a pain in the hole for our registrar and the likes as insurance of players and teams is totally different.
There was a big push a few years back but that faltered on a rock at national level so saw that headline and didn't go any further as I knew it was pish.
Quote from: johnnycool on January 04, 2021, 03:47:14 PM
Quote from: Itchy on January 03, 2021, 11:06:14 PM
The ball is in the ladies court on this one and if the imbecile who wrote the original article did even a smidgeon of research she'd have known that.
Entirely correct there. Can only speak for our club and the camogs are fully integrated at club level but nothing in common at CB and National Level which is a pain in the hole for our registrar and the likes as insurance of players and teams is totally different.
There was a big push a few years back but that faltered on a rock at national level so saw that headline and didn't go any further as I knew it was pish.
Totally agree JC. Our club have always been completely integrated but could never understand how our games persist with extra admin layers at county and national level.
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on January 03, 2021, 10:57:05 AM
Is the ladies games all under the one roof now? Or if not, should it be?
Would that result in less of what she's saying is supposedly happening?
It's all under one roof in the international units and it works great. The only problem is administrative confusion when it comes to dealing with the three different associations based in Ireland, plus the expense of sending delegates to three different congresses. There's also a bit of confusion about the playing rules. Apparently there's a sin bin in ladies' football but I don't think I've ever seen it used in the states.
Alan Milton has a letter in the Irish Times asking the girleens to make a statement
Sir, – The Gaelic Athletic Association is many things to many different people.
One thing it does not purport to be is perfect or without room to adapt, innovate and improve in an effort to ensure we remain relevant in Irish society and crucially to those who play and engage in our games and cultural activities.
Our organisation is fuelled almost entirely on the volunteer energy provided by 700,000 members, both here and in pockets around the globe.
However, for all the things it is or purports to be, it is not misogynistic, as alleged by Prof Orla Muldoon (Opinion & Analysis, December 30th).
The GAA has no female playing members, bar a small number who play our small-sided juvenile Go-Games, where ladies football and camogie teams do not exist to cater for them, and those who play handball and rounders. The vast majority of girls and women playing camogie and football do so under the banners of An Cumann Camogaíochta and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association with our support.
Both of these organisations are independent sporting bodies recognised by Sport Ireland who benefit from the use of GAA facilities and other administrative GAA supports but who organise their games and activities under different rules and their own constitutions.
In many cases, our clubs operate a "one club model" where all members and teams are viewed as one unit and which mirrors in spirit the memorandum of understanding that exists between the GAA and our sister organisations at national level.
A tangible example of this co-operation is the 27,692 girls (39 per cent of total attendance) who attended our Kellogg's Cúl Camps in 2020.
Both of those organisations are represented on our management committee and attend our annual congress.
Any idea that the GAA would attempt to swallow up or "bounce" these organisations into Cumann Lúthchleas Gael would be both disrespectful and naive in the furtherance of enhanced relations and the playing of Gaelic games, regardless of code.
It is for those sporting bodies to speak for themselves but I would suggest that they would publicly acknowledge that no other sporting entities benefit from the use of our facilities in the same way they do.
Similarly, the idea that the GAA is any way responsible for the broadcast arrangements of either ladies football and camogie is naive.
The GAA partnered with the 20 x 20 campaign in an effort to provide profile and awareness to a campaign that aimed to elevate attendance, coverage and participation levels in female sport before the end of 2020.
Leaving the issue of playing to one side, can the GAA do more to attract talented females into management positions, such as Tracey Kennedy (Cork) or Róisín Jordan (Tyrone), to mention but two? Undoubtedly.
Getting the legion of female volunteers at club, county and provincial level to climb the GAA administrative ladder has to be a priority for our organisation to ensure we are more reflective of our membership and society as a whole.
However, when you recruit the vast bulk of your volunteer officers from your pool of retired players – almost exclusively male – that brings with it challenges.
Our organisation deserves critical analysis and constructive criticism when it errs and falls short of the standards set by our members and wider society. However, it should be able to expect balance and research before outlandish and inaccurate observations make it into print. – Is mise,
ALAN MILTON,
GAA Director
of Communications,
Croke Park, Dublin 3.
Well said, Alan.
Quote from: Eamonnca1 on January 08, 2021, 06:09:47 AM
Well said, Alan.
The fact that the author of the piece made no reference whatsoever to the LGFA or the Camogie Association in her piece really betrays her utter lack of knowledge on the subject.
Quote from: Eamonnca1 on January 08, 2021, 06:09:47 AM
Well said, Alan.
Not sure this paragraph was wise.
"It is for those sporting bodies to speak for themselves but I would suggest that they would publicly acknowledge that no other sporting entities benefit from the use of our facilities in the same way they do."
Trying to big up the equality credentials by reminding the world of rule 42.
QuoteA tangible example of this co-operation is the 27,692 girls (39 per cent of total attendance) who attended our Kellogg's Cúl Camps in 2020.
this really is a stat to be proud of. considering the base the Female games has come from.
I think they should probably remain separate as they would soon challenge Rugby for the 3rd biggest sporting organization in the country and get as much in grand aid as the egg chasers ::)